Tips

Yes, by merely changing the time you feed your cows/heifers you can directly influence the time of calving. When you feed cows in the evening/night, you simply and most practically reduce the number of night-time calvings.

Progressive Genetics will be supplying the Moocall HEAT (as soon as they come available - early next year: January/February) but you can order from today (with a deposit). Moocall HEAT is a one stop shop heat detection system for the largest of dairy farms to small scale part-time suckler farms, Moocall HEAT is the complete package from the collar for the bull to the App: Breedmanager, this exciting new system has been designed for Irish farmers.

How does it work?

The collar is worn by a vasectomised bull (teaser bull) and Moocall eartags are attached to all cows and heifers. The collar then uses cow/bull proximity, mounting behaviour and bull activity levels to determine to an extremely high level of accuracy when a cow or a heifer is in heat.

Antimicrobial resistance in an increasing problem across the world in both animal and human medicine. Check out this video with Glanbia's Vet Shane McElroy explaining the correct application of Selective Dry Cow Therapy and responsible targeted use of antibiotics helps reduce development of resistance, in a short concise 2 min 30 second video.

We now have Milk Pregnancy Kits for postage available, price per sample €3.60 plus postage with prices of postage ranging depending on the number of bottles posted etc. E.g. Price for 8 samples is €2.80, price for 9 to 23 is €3.50.

Plus results currently going out in post but will be available by text shortly!

Kits available from your local AI Technician or Salesperson!

Pregnancy Diagnosis from milk samples

1. Simple: uses milk sample (get kit off of local AI Technician or Salesperson or contact us directly)2. Easy: No extra work3. Effective: Comparable accuracy to scanning4. Complements scanning and fits into a managed fertility programme.5. Use from 28 days post breeding

On Wednesday this week I joined an estimated 13,000 other people at the latest Moorepark open day. The first thing that strikes you is the fantastic organisation of the day, and it would be wrong of me not to congratulate all concerned for their considerable effort.

Beef Data Genomic Programme (BDGP) 2015-2020

The new BDGP has been to the front of farming news recently. The BDGP will run for six years, all farmers who sign up will be required to complete actions for the full six years. There are 6 main requirements as part of the BDGP: Calving details, Surveys, Genotyping, Replacement strategy, Carbon Navigator & Training.

This spring, in the build up to the breeding season, we have presented to many farmer meetings. Our Dairy Product Specialist, Seamus Hughes, has conducted many of these. We also had Gareth "Grassland" Davies address two meetings in Laois and Tipperary that were very interesting.

Limiting Night-time Calving FAQs

Can you change the time of day that cows/heifers calve?

Yes, by merely changing the time you feed your cows/heifers you can directly influence the time of calving. When you feed cows in the evening/night, you simply and most practically reduce the number of night-time calvings.

There are several benefits to eliminating night-time calving:

Calving difficulties are easier to manage during daylight

Assistance to be given early if neccessary, resulting in fewer deaths and also resulting in healthier more productive cows.

Daylight births give calves time to get dry, get fed (Colostrum/Biestings - 10% of calf's bodyweight) & treat their navel with iodine etc.

A piece by Arthur Bredin – Progressive Genetics Beef Specialist & Field Service Manager in the West of Ireland. A farmer approached me, at the Ploughing match, he was having problems getting cows in calf. I asked him a good few questions to try and get to the root of his dilemma, but it soon became apparent to me what was his problem.

We are often asked if daughter proven bulls are superior to genomic proven ones.

We looked at a situation in which we selected only the highest EBI bulls in each year that were either Genomic (GS), Daughter Proven with Irish daughter (DAU Irl) or Daughter proven with foreign daughters (INT dau). We looked at the top 15 bulls in each category, regardless of breed since 2010 and compared the EBI at the time of selection to the current EBI.